Michelle Rozen, Ph.D., makes a speciality of change. Since incomes her grasp’s and doctorate in psychology over a decade in the past (whereas elevating three younger kids and dealing full-time), Rozen has helped govt management groups at corporations like Johnson & Johnson, Merrill Lynch, Coca-Cola and Pfizer navigate large organizational adjustments. Her work on this discipline has even earned her the nickname “the change physician.”
Rozen’s newest guide, The 6% Club, digs into how we are able to create and obtain the targets that we got down to accomplish.
This interview has been edited for size and readability.
SUCCESS+: What’s the 6% membership?
Michelle Rozen: I surveyed 1,000 folks all around the U.S. It was January 2023, and so they all had some sort of a objective—enterprise, private, money, relationship, well being, something. I stated, “Let’s see what occurs with these folks over time.”
So I surveyed them from January to June, and what I discovered actually made my jaw drop—as a result of what I discovered was that 94% of the people who pledged to do one thing dropped no matter they pledged for by February. And in order that’s how the 6% membership was born.
S+: What’s the 0–10 rule, and the way can somebody use it to assist them turn out to be one of many 6%?
MR: The 0–10 rule mainly signifies that within the span of your day, you might have an excessive amount of to do. However in case you run right into a 94-percenter, one of many issues that you just’ll hear is, “Oh my gosh, I’m so busy…. I’ve been operating round the entire day, [and I] didn’t even have lunch.” However in case you look into what they really accomplish in a given day—you probably have issues to do on a span of 10 is crucial [thing], and two and three are the much less essential issues—they do an entire lot of twos and threes. As a result of there’s not sufficient time within the day, they don’t even get to their 10s.
What you get is an entire lot of busy with little or no progress. One of many issues that’s attribute of the six-percenters is that they’re very, excellent at figuring out what their 10s are for the day, and so they’re going to get these 10s down, it doesn’t matter what. The twos and threes? They’re going to delegate them.
S+: How did you develop the 0–10 rule?
MR: Initially I borrowed it from the world of psychology and tailored it to the world of decision-making and prioritizing. I used it on myself first, and it helped me determine find out how to prioritize my time.
After I began working with high management groups, I began sharing that device with them and growing it. They discover it extremely useful as a result of they’ve too many issues to do and their groups have too many issues to do. After I did the analysis on the 6%, I found that one of many issues that characterizes 6-percenters is ruthless prioritizing, in comparison with the 94%.
S+: What’s the most important distinction between a great chief and an important chief?
MR: Individuals abilities—that’s the most important shift that occurred in management from 2020 till as we speak. And it’s a battle for lots of people as a result of management was very matrix-oriented, and now it’s very people-oriented. The underside line is, in case you’re not the sort of person who has wonderful folks abilities—communication and training, issues of that nature—you really want to work on it. They’re not abilities which you could’t purchase, however they’re not non-compulsory. They’re obligatory for leaders as we speak.
S+: How can leaders higher develop and adapt to the inevitable but crucial adjustments they see inside their crew or group?
MR: The world adjustments in a short time. It’s a shift from the sort of particular person that claims, “How do I adapt?”—which is extra passive—to “How do I… not simply adapt, however provoke change to issues to make them extra impactful and efficient? Throughout the altering panorama, how do I higher my methods as a frontrunner? How do I turn out to be more practical? How do I repair the issues that don’t work in order that I’m able to attain my targets?”
Cease doing issues that don’t work and focus in your strengths and the issues which you could enhance so you possibly can carry out higher on this quickly altering world. Don’t argue with the altering world. Don’t hope that issues will return to previous instances—as a result of they received’t. It’s going to maintain altering in a short time. [So] you really want to up your recreation when it comes to your private and management abilities so that you just’re higher outfitted to cope with a storm.
This interview initially appeared within the Could/June 2025 subject of SUCCESS+ Magazine. Picture courtesy of Dr. Michelle Rozen
